Odds 'n Ends: Roasted Stuffed Peppers

The beginning of the school year is always a bit hectic for students and teachers. On my end, it often leads to a really confusing assortment of food in the fridge--one pepper, half a jar of pickles, the end of a bag of shredded cheese, etc. This is usually the result of my coming home, cramming some food into my mouth, and hunkering down to grade as much as possible before I get to bed.

Last week, however, I had a blessedly empty night on my hands, and decided to try to do something culinary with my time. I wanted to use up a beautiful orange pepper that had been hanging out in the fridge, but didn't have enough salad-type ingredients. I'd been missing the beauty of Greece and its amazing cuisine, and I remembered how delicious the stuffed peppers and tomatoes had been. That's not too hard, I thought.

Well, yes and no.

Roasted Stuffed Pepper Recipe

• One pepper
• 1-2 cups of pre-cooked rice (preferably brown)
• Whatever herbs/spices you have on hand

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, make a circle cut around the stem of the pepper, so that you can pull it and the seeds out without damaging the body of the pepper. Save the stem to put back on top during cooking, mostly for aesthetic value.


2. Fill the pepper with the pre-cooked rice, adding any herbs or spices you have on hand (I used fresh garlic, celery salt, and pepper). Add a little olive oil to keep the filling moist (what a terrible word). Cook for 20-ish minutes...longer is better if you prefer a softer pepper.


3. While you wait, try a 3 Horses beer. It's a Dutch lager that a friend brought over for our "Stock the Bar" housewarming party, and it's delicious.








4. Remove the pepper from the oven, and let it cool (with the top off!) for a while before you dig in. Your unburnt tongue will thank you (trust me).





The bottom line: while it was great to use up some random food elements, I should have let the whole thing cook longer. My garlic was more or less raw, which made the whole dish a lot harsher than it should have been. If I hadn't been positively starving while making this lovely stuffed pepper, it probably would've been easier to wait.